Unhealthy
by Chatterpie
Summary: It wasn't sex, not really. And it certainly wasn't love. Riku/Anti. Putting a T-rating on this, kiddies.
1. Chapter 1

Now now, folks, don't get excited. Or, do, if you want. I don't really mind.

What was I saying? Oh yeah. I was reading over this and getting mighty twitchy at how _bad_ some of it is. So I'm re-writing it. Hopefully you'll all agree that it's better this time around.

* * *

It was all his fault. Again. Riku knew this. Accepted it. And now he was going to have to fix it. Somehow. He'd been shooting his stupid mouth off about his inner demons again, knowing how it upset Sora, and carrying on anyway because he always got too damned close for his own good.

It was because of his own jealousy, of course. He'd just happened to look up when Kairi leaned across to kiss the brunet on the cheek, and something had twisted sharply in his gut. When Sora had turned that hundred-watt smile on him, barely minutes later, he had wanted to _hurt _him, say something to obliterate that blissfully happy look that always seemed to mock him. He couldn't even remember what he'd said, now, it was all just another meaningless blur, until that sound had cut through his self-righteous ranting.

_That sound. _Low and guttural, it had rumbled from deep within that small body, a sound that should never spill from human lips. Eyes snapping to the brunet, Riku realised he'd fallen to his knees, smoky blackness creeping its way over his hands and legs. It had taken a moment for the full impact to hit him, but when it had, he'd stood numb for a moment, mouth hanging slightly open.

_Oh. Shit._

"Sora?"

The smaller boy looked up, eyes already fading from blue to lamplike yellow as the tendrils of blackness crept up over his collarbone. There was no recognition, no warmth, just a cold curiosity.

"Sora," he kept his voice low and steady, a voice for talking to small children or wild animals. "Snap out of it."

Black lips curled back into a feral expression that seemed somehow mocking. _As if. _Fluidly, with a grace that was almost unnerving, the creature that was his best friend shifted into a fighting stance.

_Right. _Riku brought his fists up and lowered his center of gravity. _All I have to do is k__nock him out. I can manage that. _He knew that his added height and muscle tone would work in his favour here, he was just grateful the thing didn't have access to a keyblade.

In response to his motions, the creature's sneer turned to a grin, white teeth flashing against black lips. It brought its hands up in a mimicry of Riku's boxing stance, but left the fingers uncurled, rather than balling them into fists.

For a brief moment, they regarded each other without moving, then Antiform lashed out. Riku blocked it easily, but white-hot pain blossomed over his knuckes, where it had struck them. It withdrew, and as it held up its hand, he saw a bright drop of his blood staining the tips of the wickedest-looking claws he'd ever seen. Its smile widened.

Angry, Riku struck. The creature dropped easily beneath his outstretched fist, and came up practically pressed against him, administering an almost lazy open-handed swipe across his right cheek. Riku used the impetum of the strike to grab the thing's wrist and pull it into a spin, pinning it against his chest. Letting out a feral hiss, it dropped its right arm and sank its claws into his thigh, dragging upwards until he let go, screaming in pain. Without even pausing, it flipped forwards onto one hand and spun, then shot its legs out to wrap around his waist. Its free hand touched the floor for a second, then it pushed off and brought both of them crashing down, Riku pinned between its legs. Its hands yanked his wrists up above him, claws making a cage around them. Then, as it bent over him, face inches from his, it began to purr.

This was sweet, Anti thought. Live prey, something that would bleed and scream, and all his. Wriggling in sheer delight at the thought, he slipped his hand into one of the silver haired boy's, almost tenderly, and dug in a claw, pushing until he felt that slight pop of skin giving way and the boy groaned in pain. That was good. He would enjoy this one's screams. The first, when he had so neatly tore up his thigh, that had been like music. He would have enjoyed it more, but he had been angry at him for daring to try and trap him. Oh, he would suffer for that.

In one swift move, Anti switched from holding a wrist in each hand to caging them both with his left, his finger still impaling the boy's palm. Then, pulling back a little, he ran a teasing nail down his victim's shirt. The fabric parted easily as he sliced through it, and he flipped both sides back, revealing pale skin stretching taut over well-toned muscles. Pale, creamy skin that was virtually begging to be marked, stained with trails of red. His hand moved to the boy's throat, and then he leaned closer. Turning his head, Anti nipped almost playfully at his prey's earlobe, then bit down, hard enough to draw blood. Then, a little noise slipping out from between clenched teeth, he _tore._

Riku let out a cry of pain, and he virtually felt the thing squirm with delight. A shudder ran up his spine as he felt a cool tongue lapping at his earlobe, the same earlobe that it had just torn a chunk out of. Snarling, he bucked upwards, trying to unbalance the creature, but it merely increased the pressure in the claw still firmly embedded in his palm. Gods, it felt like it had stabbed right _through _his hand. His snarl turned to what could almost be called a whimper, and he sank back, helpless fury burning his chest. It was purring again.

It had pulled back to look at him, the hand at his throat moving to cup his cheek, a sick little smile tugging at its lips as it saw the hatred written in every taut line of his face, and Riku was hit with a sudden realisation.

_I'm going to die. It's going to make me suffer, and then it'll kill me._

This was it. After all the battles, all the monsters, worlds crumbling around his ears, he was going to die on the floor of the treehouse, pinned beneath the sneering, black image of his best friend. A laugh threatened to break from him, but it wasn't funny. He wanted to find it funny. He wanted to be angry, or scared, but he couldn't feel anything. Except the tender pain in the wounds caused by the creature that held him.

Almost gently, it stroked a single claw down his unmarked cheek, from under his eye down to the corner of his mouth. His skin stung, then began to tingle slightly. It hadn't cut deep enough to draw blood this time, just enough to make a mark. Riku looked up in confusion, then caught its smile as it repeated the movement, only harder. _That _had broken skin, and it hurt all the more for the scratch of seconds before.

The creature leaned close, so close that Riku could feel its breath whispering across his skin, then its tongue slipped out and slid over his aching skin, its coolness soothing the heat.

Riku drew in a sharp breath.

Shivers had erupted all over his spine, and not from disgust or pain.

He found himself shifting his hands, just slightly, just enough to make the creature, Antiform, flex his fingers until the white-hot pain in his palm went deeper.

It was strange, he'd felt distant for so long, like there was a pane of glass between him and the world, that when something pierced that bubble of apathy, it was almost a shock to the system. For the first time in what felt like years, he _felt _something.

It felt _good._

Using the hand that had returned to lay almost posessively over his cheek, Antiform tilted Riku's head and began lapping at the three shallow cuts it had scored across his face earlier. It nipped lightly, pinching the skin between its teeth, making the blood flow again. Its hand slid back down to his neck, claws flexing lightly and leaving little pinprick wounds, its thumb dragging down his throat and tearing a moan from him. Despite how close to death he was, Riku still found it in himself to blush at the sound of his own voice. At the slow heat that was uncoiling itself at the base of his spine.

Antiform trailed its fingers from his throat, down over his chest. Slowly, agonisingly, it scored three parallel lines leading downwards. Riku found himself arching at that touch, welcoming the sharp sting in his chest, and heard a sound of yearning escape his lips. Biting down on his lower lip to keep from crying out again, Riku struggled to get his body under control.

His fingertips embedded in the flesh over his victim's pounding heart, Anti noticed a subtle difference in the way the body beneath him responded to his touch. Instead of leaning away, pressing himself into the floor, he was rising to meet the claws that dug into him, and the face that had been regarding him with the utmost hatred was now flushed, eyes wide and slightly unfocused instead of narrowed and glaring. Experimentally, he pushed a little harder into the pale flesh beneath his hand, producing a cry that was softer, more drawn-out than before, and causing the body beneath him to writhe, muscles tensing in a most intriguing way. He smiled, answering the boy's soft murmur with something like a croon, and brought his mouth to where the pulse beat so hot, so fast, in the curve of his neck. His claws resuming their descent over pale skin, he bit down where the beat felt strongest, harder and harder until a sound halfway between a moan and a scream tore free from a mouth bitten to holly-brightness. Anti looked at his prey, seeing the blood welling from the self-inflicted bite. His tongue flicked out to catch the drop, and their gazes met. Met and locked. Aquamarine met smouldering yellow, and a single coherent thought crossed his mind.

_Riku..._

Yellow flickered, became blue, then flickered back again. Anti virtually leapt off of Riku, uttering a sound like a scalded cat. For a second, he huddled in the corner of the room, pale flesh beginning to appear between wisps of inky black, then he was gone, leaving Riku feeling sullied and strangely empty. He brought a hand to his face, passing it over his eyes and then covering his mouth as he steadied his breathing, the movement leaving a sticky trail of blood in its wake.

_Ok, you win, _he thought, with an ironic little twist to the lips that expressed neither joy nor amusement, _I guess we both have our demons._


	2. Chapter 2

A shorter chapter this time, and no appearance from Anti. You don't like it? You try writing a fic without including your favourite character. I hate this chapter.

* * *

Riku stretched out, sighing softly as the breeze cooled his injured cheeks. He had stumbled into the house late last night, after waking up in a state of confusion on the treehouse floor, shot his mother a look that said "don't ask. Seriously," then flopped into bed. This morning, he'd not bothered to go to school, deciding he needed space to sort out his head.

"Riku! Are you there?"

And just like that, tension filled every muscle of his body. Why the hell was _he_ here? Why now? But of course, Riku realised he was being stupid. Why would Sora, ridiculously caring, overprotective, selfless-to-a-fault Sora _not _come to check if he was ok?

Bracing himself, he sat up.

"Riiikuuuu! Where a-" the other boy froze, one hand on the garden gate he was opening, impossibly blue eyes widened in shock. Then he took the few running steps up the garden. Riku rose to stand, giving him a careless wave.

"What the hell happened?"

He let out a sigh, the movement stirring the silver bangs that fell into his eyes.

"C'mon inside. I'll get us some lemonade."

Sora followed him into the coolness of the kitchen, propping himself up against the sink as the other opened the fridge and peered inside. He caught his lower lip between his teeth, gnawing it, then asked softly, "Riku...those marks. Did you do that?"

The taller boy straightened up, turning to face him, and quirked one eyebrow.

"Yeah, Sora. I bit myself in the neck, and tore a chunk out of my own ear." His tone was dryly amused. He put the lemonade bottle on the table and crossed his arms over his chest, smirking just a little.

"Sorry." Those blue eyes flicked down and to the side, the way they always did when Sora was abashed, and he began worrying at his lip again. Riku moved towards him, nudging him aside slightly and reaching into the cupboard above the sink for glasses. He glanced over at the shorter boy, meeting his gaze.

"Then, who did do that?"

It was Riku who looked away first. "No-one. It was just an animal. Dog, or something."

"Bullshit."

He nearly dropped the glasses in shock. Sora never swore. Sora hardly ever got angry. But now his eyes were hard and glaring, and his lips were set in a thin line. He reached out to touch the slice under his friend's left eye, and Riku's skin erupted in tingles at the contact.

"This one's deliberate. It's neat."

Brushing his hand away, Riku pulled back a few steps, putting the glasses on the counter. The younger boy followed him, reaching out to grasp the fabric of his shirt.

"Damnit, Riku! Stop pushing me away!" His eyes were bright, burning into Riku's as he closed the distance between them, moving so close that the silver-haired boy could feel his breath against his cheeks. Sora's voice dropped, became almost pleading.

"You can tell me. Tell me who did this."

He tried to look away, tried to escape that intense blue gaze, but it held him, captivated him.

"Tell me," the brunette murmured once more, fingers flexing in his friend's shirt.

Something in Riku snapped, and his hands grabbed the smaller boy's wrists, pushing them up beside his head and slamming him into the wall behind him. Sora gasped as his grip pressed tendons against each other, pain flitting across his face. The sound was a good deal more enticing than it should have been.

"Fine! You wanna know?" It was Riku's turn to lean in, hissing into his ear, "It was you. You sliced me up. And I let you."

He pulled away then, hands leaving Sora's wrists and clenching into fists. One of which slammed he slammed into the counter. The brunette slumped, body sliding down the wall, as if he was a puppet with its strings cut.

* * *

And there it is. Go ahead. Make of it as ye will.


	3. Chapter 3

Again. -headdesk- I like this a little better. I promise, _I promise _there is Antiform in the next chapter. And kink. And blood.

* * *

"'M sorry."

Sora tore his gaze away from the tiled floor to fix on Riku, confused.

"About your wrists. I didn't mean to-" he broke off, hand combing through his silver hair in agitation. "Did I hurt you?"

The smaller boy shook his head, an almost hysterical laugh bubbling forth. His eyes shone with unshed tears now.

"It'd be fair, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean...I hurt you. Really bad." His breath caught in his chest, and he squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing past the obstruction in his throat.

"Sora..." Riku moved to approach him, wanting more than anything to wrap his arms around the younger boy and hold him until that dreadful haunted look disappeared from his eyes.

"Why did you let me? Why did you let me do it?"

Kneeling in front of him, the silver-haired boy reached out to squeeze his knee lightly. A knot of emotion built up inside of his chest.

"Listen to me, Sora. That...It was Antiform. Not you." As if Sora could ever be capable of inflicting pain on anyone for sport.

"But it's still me!" He leaned forwards, voice rising in distress. "Anti is still me! It's what Yen Sid said," he murmured more to himself, "the Heartless is a human consumed with darkness. When I'm Anti, I'm still me. But, I never wanted to hurt you!" He shifted onto his knees, hand shooting out to grasp Riku's shirt once more. His eyes fixed onto the taller boy's chest, and tears finally began to break free. Without pausing to consider, Riku wound his arms around him, pulling him closer still. Sobs shook the brunette's shoulders as he buried his face against his chest.

"I'm sorry!" He choked out, "I never wanted to hurt you!"

"Shh, it's ok." Riku's fingers threaded through brown hair, stroking lightly. Sora's head tilted back to stare at him, and Riku brushed away the tears that still dampened his cheeks.

"Why? How can it possibly be ok? How can you not be angry with me?"

The silver-haired boy froze, fingers stilling against his jawline. His mouth was suddenly dry, and his tongue flicked out to moisten dry lips.

"I-" He swallowed hard, and his arms shifted away from Sora, but the other boy didn't relinquish his own grip on Riku's shirt. It was so hard to think straight, to word the truth right when those blue eyes were looking at him full of hurt innocence. Sighing, Riku rubbed a hand over his face. "Because I liked it."

The sentence slipped out from behind his palm, and his eyes flicked to Sora's and then away. The younger boy's fingers went slack, slipping from his shirt.

"You-" he paused, took a deep breath and tried again, voice barely above a whisper, "you liked it?"

When Riku nodded, he looked confused. "How do you mean? How can you enjo-"  
"I mean what I said!" the older boy snapped back, "What do you want me to say?" Seeing Sora flinch back as though he'd been struck, Riku was immediately contrite. "I mean...it was-it was a turn-on."

He felt his cheeks burn, and noticed a delicate pink tinge spreading across Sora's nose. Suddenly, irrationally amused, he gave a soft chuckle.

Blinking, still confused, Sora asked gently, "so, you're like a masochist? Is that it?"

Riku's amusement died a death. He glanced at the floor, frowning slightly. "Masochist." He supposed that's what it was, but the term was so clinical. And besides, he didn't enjoy it when he cut himself by accident, or stubbed his toe, and never once had he delighted in getting whacked or stabbed in battle. It was just something about the way Anti's claws had so delicately cut into him that sent shivers down his spine, even just thinking about it.

"Riku?"

His eyes drifted back to Sora's confused blue gaze. Then he shrugged slightly.

"Does it really matter that much? I'm more concerned about Anti getting loose in the first place."

The younger boy's hands wrung in his lap.

"I...he's been restless lately." His voice was soft. This entire conversation had been conducted in virtual whispers, as if raised voices might trigger something drastic.

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know. I just...I feel this nudging at the back of my mind."

His fingers kneaded at the fabric covering his knees as he spoke, brows furrowing in distress.

"Is it like, constant, or just every so often?"

"It's hard to explain. It's so slight that I don't notice it all the time. It's like, you know when you're nervous, and you hold your breath, and you don't realise you're doing it until you start breathing again?"

Riku nodded in understanding.

"How long has this been going on for?"

"I'm not sure. He wasn't doing it before..." Blue eyes narrowed slightly as he thought back. "I was ok before the battle with the eyepatch guy."

"And after that, I showed up." His voice was heavy, resigned. There was a sinking feeling in his chest, as the thought occurred to him that he seemed to cause problems wherever he went.

"It's not you, Riku." Sora shook his head emphatically. "It's not your fault. I was _happy _when I found you!"

"You were crying."

"From relief, you idiot!" The smaller boy rose, gripping Riku's shoulders and leaning closer, his voice hoarse from the strain of keeping it quiet. "There wasn't a part of me that wasn't happy to see you!" Then his eyes widened, dropping to his knees as if he'd find the answer there.

"What is it?"

Sora swallowed, then looked back up.

"There wasn't." Off the silver-haired boy's blank look, he continued, "not a single part of me regretted finding you. I think-" He swallowed again. "I think Antiform _likes _you."

The arching of a delicate eyebrow met that suggestion.

"Antiform likes me? Then why does he take such delight in cutting me?"

"I don't know! I just...I know I'm right."

They parted then, Sora slipping down to the tiled floor again, Riku raking his fingers through his hair in agitation.

"Well...what the hell do we do now?"

Confused blue eyes met the older boy's enquiry.

"Well, we can't have Antiform running rampant all over Destiny Islands. If he does _this _to me-" he indicated his cuts, "I'd hate to see what he did to someone he didn't care about."

"We do nothing."

"Wha-"

"It won't happen again."

"You know this for sure?" Riku knew he sounded skeptical, and with damned good reason. "We only just figured out why he's even sentient still. We have no idea what made you lose control of him."

"It. Won't. Happen. Again." The brunette's jaw was set into a stubborn line, eyes flashing angrily. The older boy sighed heavily. It was rare that Sora got mulish, but when he did, he was harder to deal with than a bear with a sore head.

"Sora, you're gambling people's lives on this!"

"I can handle it!"

"Then why are your _eyes turning yellow?!"_ His hand snatched out, grabbed a fistful of fabric, pulled the smaller boy to him easily. Noses almost pressed together, he could see the faint yellowing around the pupils that indicated Sora was losing it again. Those eyes closed, squeezing shut against tears.

"Please, Riku." His words were so quiet, barely more than a breath.

"What? You want me to let you run amok?" In contrast, Riku deliberately kept an edge to his tone. "This makes no sense! Think of the people you could hurt! What if it was someone else next time, like Kairi?" He callously ignored the soft gasp, the tear trickling free. "You could hurt her, too. Hell, you don't know for sure whether or not you'd let her live."

"What do I DO, then?" Sora's eyes snapped open, the yellow more pronounced as he gripped the other boy's wrist, nails biting into the flesh. "If I _can't _cope, if I _can't _make it ok, then who the **hell else will?!**" There was something behind his voice, something deep and growling. His jaw dropped on hearing it, and he seemed to crumple.

"What do I do?" he asked again, brokenly.

And Riku had no answer for him.

* * *

Mrf.


	4. Chapter 4

And, as promised, a chapter with my beloved little freak. Oh, how I've missed him. Hope this satisfies. Oh, and to My Friend? -bows- Your kind nagging warmed my heart.

* * *

"Agh, I can't take any more!" Sora threw down his pen, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting sulkily. Glancing over, Riku laughed. The mood was a far cry from three days before, when the brunette had found out about his lapse.

"I saved the world! Lots of worlds! Twice!" He resumed, loudly. "I shouldn't have to do homework!"

"Aw, shut it." The older boy reached across the width of the bed where they both rested, shoving his friend lightly.

"Or at least, I should get extra credit," Sora muttered darkly.

"C'mon, Sora. What happened to positive thinking? It's only algebra."

"But it's haaaaard!" he wailed.

"It's not that hard. And don't tell me it is, I did this stuff last year, remember?" The silver-haired boy grabbed the textbook that lay open at his friend's knees, pulling it over.

"Let's see...Oh, Pythagoras. No wonder you're getting frown lines."

"I am not!"

Riku laughed, reaching out and brushing a fingertip between the younger boy's brows. "Yeah you are. Right here."

A flash of yellow in blue eyes made him freeze, hand still outstretched. Sora blinked at him, unaware of his own lapse.

"Riku?"

Not replying, swallowing against the sudden tightness in his throat, he stroked downwards over the bridge of the boy's nose. Those eyes flashed yellow again, then drifted closed. Brown hair gained a flush of black at the roots, which spread as swiftly as wildfire, staining all the way to the tips.

_What are you doing? _he thought, but it was lost in the fascination as he watched black creep up the paler skin of Sora's throat, like smoke. His single fingertip resumed its descent, down his nose, to lips slightly parted as breath quickened, then the transformation was complete and those phosphorous eyes snapped open to fix him with a curiously blank gaze. Ebony lips parted further, and Antiform leaned forwards to take the tip of Riku's finger into his mouth. Then he bit, catching the sensitive pad between sharp canine teeth. The older boy hissed softly at the pressure and made to pull back, but his finger was already released with a parting lick to the drop of blood forming, and Antiform was shoving him backwards, pinning him against the bed. His claws formed a cage around the silver-haired boy's wrists as before, and he turned his head to nuzzle at his torn ear. Riku let loose a soft noise as the touch brought sharp pain arcing through him. Cool lips pressed against the wound, sending the pain right down his spine, and he heard a purr.

"Bastard," he hissed. It came out a lot less bitter than he had intended it to. Anti moved then, one clawed hand shifting from his wrists to grip a handful of his shirt, ripping it as easily as tissue paper. Casually, he tossed the torn fabric into the corner of the room, then ran his fingers slowly down over Riku's damaged flesh, tracing the lines he had cut, nails flexing almost teasingly.

Slowly, the silver-haired boy realised that something was missing. He wasn't _bleeding _yet. Disregarding the pinprick of a cut on his fingertip, which had already sealed up, the heartless that held him had yet to inflict any real damage upon him. Confused, he sought to meet Anti's gaze. Half-lidded eyes regarded him, a smirk twisting that full, coal-black mouth.

He felt those claws against his skin again, just above his navel, pressing hard enough to sting, then retreating until they rested on his stomach. Another flex, slightly deeper, and Riku shuddered, spine arching up into the touch.

He felt the parting of his own skin, pain blossoming in his gut and transforming into heat as it travelled lower, his hips following the rise of his back. The awkward position of his legs cancelled out any pleasure that could have been gained from the movement, and he shifted slightly to alleviate some of the discomfort.

Before he could think, Antiform's weight lifted from his legs and a knee slipped between his, coaxing them apart. Then he lowered himself into the V between Riku's thighs, the sudden contact causing the silver-haired boy to gasp. It took all the willpower he had to stop his hips from rising, creating the friction that he desperately needed to satisfy the _heat _building at the point where their bodies met.

Anti's hand trailed up from his stomach, nails dragging just deep enough to sting and send shivers rippling up his spine. Then his grip shifted and his fingers slipped into Riku's palms, his eyes meeting clouded blue-green ones and a single eyebrow curving in an expression of challenge.

Experimentally, Riku tried to pull free. Yellow eyes drifted closed, and with a delighted chirrup, the heartless dug his claws into oversensitive flesh. As he did, his entire blody flexed in a catlike stretch, hips pushing down, down, and dragging a moan from the boy pinned beneath him.

"Aanh!" This time, Riku couldn't stop his hips from rocking upwards, groin rubbing against that delicious pressure. "Gods..." he breathed, "S-" He meant to say stop. He _knew _he meant to say stop. But his mouth betrayed him, voicing the name of his desire, his _need _in a breathless whimper. "S-Sora!"

Instantly, movement stopped. Then that body was arching away from him, drawing a soft noise of protest from him. His eyes found shocked blue ones, and Sora was withdrawing, moving to the far side of the room before his hair had even shed the last wisps of black. Knees drawn up to his chest and held in place with tightly-squeezing arms, the brunette looked up, bewildered and hurt.

"What the hell were you doing?!" He demanded, angrily. "You _made _me change, that time! I know you did!"

Riku glanced down and away.

"I don't...I don't know." He replied. "Sorry."

"Sorry?! You have **NO IDEA** how goddamned hard it is to keep it under control! You said yourself that this thing puts everyone in danger, and then you go and do something stupid like this! Letting him loose so you can have your sick thrill!"

Riku's eyes squeezed shut, shame staining his cheeks.

Sora's tirade came to an abrupt halt, and he clapped his hands over his mouth. Guilt wrote itself plainly across his face, and uncurling, he shifted forwards a little. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I'm just..."

"You're apologising?" Aqua eyes were dryly amused. "You have every reason to be pissed at me. I was stupid and selfish. I _used _you."

"Not me." Brown spikes swayed as the younger boy shook his head emphatically. "Just Antiform. And he's _not _me."

His expression dared Riku to contradict him. As the older boy looked away, conceding the point, he ran a hand through those wild spikes. "This is pointless. We can blame each other and then blame ourselves until we're blue in the face, but we'll never get anywhere. Or, we can learn something from this."

"When did you get so mature?" Riku leaned over the edge of the bed to ruffle the boy's hair, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Hanging around you." Sora leaned a little into the gesture. "Anyway. What triggered me snapping this time?"

"I..." the silver-haired boy paused, thinking. "I touched your nose."

Laughing, the younger boy looked quizzically up at him. "Okay...did you touch my nose last time?"

"No." Riku was laughing too. "I was yelling at you last time. Besides..." His hand dropped, fingertip brushing over the bridge of his friend's nose as it had earlier. His hand was swiftly smacked away, and he chuckled. "Nothing. So it's not a weird nose fetish."

"I do **not **have a nose fetish."

"Didn't I just say that?"

"Wait!"

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Are you hurt? Shit, Riku! What did I do to you?" The younger boy was grasping his hand, turning it to inspect any new damage. Inspite of himself, he found himself laughing at the brunette's concern.

"Sora, calm down. I'm barely even scratched."

Blue eyes searched his.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then, what was he after? Last time, he sliced you up really bad."

Riku shrugged, his cheeks tinging pink again.

"He seemed more interested in...teasing, this time."

"How do you-" Sora caught his blush, and his eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, so...he really does like you, then."

"Apparently."

"And that might be why he got loose." From a questioning glance, he tried to explain. "We were having fun, right? Laughing and joking." The silver-haired boy nodded, and he continued, "and then you...this sounds stupid. You touched my nose. Really gently. And I felt something tug, around here." His hand flattened over his heart, and his gaze dropped to the floor for a moment, then rose to meet Riku's again. "I think...he wanted to be closer to you."

There was silence, then his friend asked tentatively, "you mean, he doesn't just like me like...like you like me?"

Sora's eyes were full of questions and doubts, things he wanted to say, but couldn't. Then he was looking at the floor, nodding slowly.

"I think he likes you more than just casually. I think-" the last words were barely even whispered. "I think he loves you."

* * *

Does that answer your question at all? :q If not, I'll be sure to answer it thoroughly in future chapters.


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